One of the cruelest jokes we have ever played on ourselves is the naming of the memory medicine Ginkgo Biloba. Not a smart marketing strategy either. Nonetheless, the product tends to sell and a reason for the sales may simply be that most of us are plagued and frustrated by memory failures. These symptoms manifest itself in trying to remember a person's name, an item that our spouse asked us to pick up at the grocery store, or even simply the reason that we got up off of the couch, walked all the way into another room in the house and then stood there wondering why. Most of these situations can be comically laughed off; however, there are situations where memory failures can be quite problematic or even catastrophic.
A perfect example of a situation in which the adverse affect of memory lapses can be realized is in the taking or administering of medication. Depending on the medication and the individual, failure to take medication can result in severe harm. In view of this, one can appreciate that it can be very important to remember to take or administer medication, and to do so in a timely manner. Thus, what is needed in the art is a mechanism that can remind or notify an individual that he or she must take or administer medication, and even when the medication must be taken or administered.
Another example of a situation in which the adverse affect of memory lapses can be realized is in remembering that you have already received or administered a medication. Such memory lapses can result in an overdose of a medication. In view of this, one can appreciate that it would be advantageous to have a device that keeps track of taken and/or administered dosages, notifies or alerts an individual attempting to take or administer an overdose and/or takes measures to help prevent overdosing.
Yet again, with disregard to memory elements, there is a high number of individuals that engage in taking prescribed medications either legally or illegally. Most medications that are prescribed to individuals, as well as animals, are provided in containers, such as pill bottles, bottles of serum, or pill pouches etc. The packaging for medication can conveniently operate as a dosage reminder/control gateway in that the person taking or administering the medication at a minimum, must approach the packaging to obtain the dosage. In view of this characteristic, there is a need in the art for a dosage reminder or overdose preventer mechanism that can be attached to, adhered to or otherwise be associated with the packaging.
Related to these needs in the art there are additional needs in the art with respect to determining if a container in general has been opened, moved, tampered with, etc., as well as providing historical data about such activity with the container and providing alerts regarding such activity. These needs in the art can arise in a variety of settings, and a few examples include detecting movement or opening of a liquor bottle, detecting opening of a liquor or gun cabinet, detect movement of a moisture testing apparatus, etc.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a device that can be used to detect when a container, such as a medicine package or otherwise, has been moved, opened or otherwise tampered with, collecting and storing information about such activity, and reporting to or alerting a person or system of such activity.
Most individuals take medicines only for the reasons their doctors prescribe them and generally at the proper times and in the proper dosages. But an estimated 20 percent of people in the United States have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons. This type of usage is referred to as prescription drug abuse. Prescription drug abuse means taking a prescription medication that is not prescribed for you, or taking it for reasons or in dosages other than as prescribed. Abuse of prescription drugs can produce serious health effects, including addiction. Commonly abused classes of prescription medications include opiods (for pain), central nervous system depressants (for anxiety and sleep disorders), and stimulants (for ADHD and narcolepsy). Opioids include hydrocodone (Vicodin®), oxycodone (OxyContin®), propoxyphene (Darvon®), hydromorphone (Dilaudid®), meperidine (Demerol®), and diphenoxylate (Lomotil®). Central nervous system depressants include barbiturates such as pentobarbital sodium (Nembutal®), and benzodiazepines such as diazepam (Valium®) and alprazolam (Xanax®). Stimulants include dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine®), methylphenidate (Ritalin® and Concerta®), and amphetamines (Adderall®).
Prescription drug abuse is a serious and growing problem. Experts differ on the reasons as to why prescription drug abuse is increasing. But, there are likely multiple factors that are resulting in this trend.
One such factor may be the misperceptions about the safety of taking these prescription drugs. Because these medications are prescribed by doctors, many assume that they are safe to take under any circumstances. This is not the case: prescription drugs act directly or indirectly on the same brain systems affected by illicit drugs; thus their abuse carries substantial addiction liability and can lead to a variety of other adverse health effects.
Another factor may be due to increasing environmental availability. Between 1991 and 2009, prescriptions for stimulants increased from 5 million to nearly 40 million, an 8-fold increase, and opioid analgesics increased from about 45 million to approximately 180 million, more than a 4-fold increase. Doctors are prescribing more drugs for more health problems than ever before. Online pharmacies make it easy to get prescription drugs without a prescription, even for youngsters.
Further, there are varied motivations for the abuse of these prescription drugs.
Underlying reasons include: to get high; to counter anxiety, pain, or sleep problems; or to enhance cognition (although they may, in fact, impair certain types of cognitive performance).
According to the NIDA website, in 2008, 15.2 million Americans age 12 and older had taken a prescription pain reliever, tranquilizer, stimulant, or sedative for nonmedical purposes at least once in the year prior to being surveyed. Source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration Web Site). The NIDA-funded 2008 Monitoring the Future Study showed that 2.9% of 8th graders, 6.7% of 10th graders, and 9.7% of 12th graders had abused Vicodin and 2.1% of 8th graders, 3.6% of 10th graders, and 4.7% of 12th graders had abused OxyContin for nonmedical purposes at least once in the year prior to being surveyed. Source: Monitoring the Future (University of Michigan Web Site)
In 2009, approximately 7.0 million persons reported past month non-medical use of psychotherapeutic drugs (2.8 percent of the U.S. population). This class of drugs is broadly described as those targeting the central nervous system, including drugs used to treat psychiatric disorders (NSDUH, 2009).
Among adolescents, prescription and over-the-counter medications account for most of the frequently abused drugs, following marijuana (excluding tobacco and alcohol). Nearly 1 in 12 high school seniors reported nonmedical use of Vicodin; 1 in 20 reported abuse of OxyContin. Overall, 1 in 5 teenagers abuse prescription drugs. When asked how prescription narcotics were obtained for nonmedical use, 59% of 12th graders said they were given to them by a friend or relative. The number obtaining them over the internet was negligible.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a solution that can help detect prescription drug abuse and provide information to experts that can be used to identify abuse, report abuse and control abuse.
Today, it is common place to see employers requiring a substance abuse screening as a requirement for employment. Some states, such as Kentucky for example, are taking action with regards to individuals receiving public assistance. Representative Lonnie Napier from Lancaster has filed a bill for the 2011 session that would require drug and substance screening for any adults in Kentucky receiving public assistance, including food stamps and state medical assistance. Napier says it is essential to require anyone receiving government assistance to submit to testing. The random testing through the Cabinet for Health and Family Services would be a prerequisite to an individual being declared eligible for public assistance, but it would allow for exceptions if the individual has a prescription for a controlled substance.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a system, device or method that can be used to provide information to employers and government officials regarding an individual's use of prescription drugs.